


everybody loves a little different

by shxrogane (minsazucar)



Series: voltron lgbt month fics [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, M/M, ace klance can i get a whoop whoop or what, communication is important folks, it doesnt always work out, ok preaching over, so talk to ur partners openly and truthfully, this time it worked out but like...
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2017-12-06
Packaged: 2019-02-11 13:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12936213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minsazucar/pseuds/shxrogane
Summary: Curious thing was… they hadn’t reached that point. Now that he reflects on the past year, he can’t recall Keith ever trying to initiate any type of intimacy that went beyond kisses and shirtless cuddling. He looked at Pidge and shrugged, trying to convey the strange limbo they’d found themselves in.“I mean, obviously I’ve never escalated anything. But, neither has he. We just both kind of naturally stop at some point and it’s fine. So… I guess I just kind of forgot?”“You forgot to talk to yourboyfriendabout beingasexual… for a year.” Her voice was nothing short of incredulous.“Oops?” He shrugged, smiling.---voltron LGBT month, Day 6 (Ace)





	everybody loves a little different

Lance blinked his eyes open against the light pouring through his curtains. He muffled a groan against a bare shoulder, nuzzling further into the warmth in front of him. Keith was breathing deeply, still sound asleep even as Lance pulled him closer. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of his boyfriend’s neck, smiling at the distinct scent of _Keith_ , the smell of firewood and home. 

Yeah, so what if he was an early morning sap? Sue him. 

Eventually nature called and Lance extracted himself from bed and shuffled to the bathroom. He went about his morning routine leisurely, having nothing else on the agenda for the day. If he was lucky, Keith would be able to stay home too, and they could laze around the apartment and have a movie day. Again. 

But of course things wouldn’t work out the way he wanted. Halfway through applying his face cream, Keith stumbled into the bathroom, grumbling in that morning rasp of his. 

“Got called into work. Sorry babe.”

Keith frowned as he splashed water on his face, trying to wake up. Lance slumped in disappointment but he wasn’t surprised. If Keith was on call, he almost _always_ got called in. He reached out and rustled Keith’s messy hair. 

“It’s alright. Just hurry up and brush your teeth so I can give you a kiss.”

Lance butt bumped him on the way out the bathroom and Keith smiled around his toothbrush. He walked back into the bedroom, foregoing a shirt and just pulling on his pajama pants. There was no point in getting dressed yet. 

By the time Lance had brewed coffee and was pouring his first cup, Keith finally walked into the kitchen, all dressed up in his uniform with his hair tied back. He always looked so handsome like that. It was no wonder why Lance had hit on him at the restaurant he worked at, almost a year ago now. He grabbed a travel mug and poured some coffee for Keith.

“Thanks Lance,” he reached for the mug with a smile and let himself get pulled into a long kiss.

“Have a good day at work. I’ll be here when you get back,” he murmured,going back in for another short kiss.

Keith pulled back with a bright smile. “I can’t wait.”

With one more kiss goodbye, Keith was out the door and Lance had the apartment to himself. He sighed and flopped on the couch with his pot of coffee. Time to see what was on Netflix.

 

…

 

A couple hours into his Netflix binge watch, there was a loud knock on his door, the only warning he got before Pidge barged in. Lance yelped, spilling popcorn all over his bare chest. He hated when she did that. Pidge smirked and skipped over to the couch, plopping down and stealing the bowl with the salvaged popcorn.

She stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed in suspicion at his shirtless chest. 

“So, I got a query for you.”

“Hello to you too.” Lance grumbled, sitting up to dust the popcorn off the couch.

“Your one year anniversary is coming up.”

“What?”

He wasn’t in the mood for her cryptic messages, wanting nothing more than to lay back down and keep watching his show. 

“One year. Anniversary. Of dating Keith.” Pidge said each part shortly, as if Lance was stupid, and that only fueled his annoyance. 

“Yeah, okay, I guess. What’s your point?”

“So,” and again, her eyes lingered on his bare chest, “as one of your best friends, I’m obligated to ask… have you two had _the talk_?”

Well, _that_ made Lance pause. Right away he knew what she was talking about and his annoyance faded. She was asking if he’d had the dreaded sex talk with his now long term boyfriend. The sex talk, as in, the part where Lance was supposed to tell his partner about how he was asexual and how they would have to negotiate intimacy. 

As in, the sex talk he never had with Keith. 

“Uh, no. We haven’t actually.” He looked away timidly, face coloring under Pidge’s scrutiny. 

“Lance…” 

Her voice carried both worry and a warning. An odd combination of emotions that he seemed to bring out in his friends quite often. He knew what she was suspecting, what she was itching to say; she was worried he was ignoring his own needs in favor of his partner’s. It had happened before, quite a few times, but when he’d started dating Keith, Lance had sworn it wouldn’t happen again. And it _hadn’t_. So, before she could carry on with a lecture, he held up his hands with a shaky smile. 

“No, it’s not what you think. We just actually… it’s never, uh, come up?”

Pidge stared at him blankly.

“You’ve been together a year. You practically _live_ together. And you’re telling me sex has never come up?”

“Okay, it sounds pretty ridiculous when you say it. But honestly… it hasn’t.”

He didn’t know how else to explain it. At the start of their relationship, Lance was sure that eventually they’d get to that point where they would have to talk. He was sure it would take a few weeks, maybe a month or two, but sooner or later something would happen; some line would be crossed or a move would be made, and _then_ Lance would be prepared to talk things out. 

Curious thing was… they hadn’t reached that point. Now that he reflects on the past year, he can’t recall Keith ever trying to initiate any type of intimacy that went beyond kisses and shirtless cuddling. He looked at Pidge and shrugged, trying to convey the strange limbo they’d found themselves in.

“I mean, obviously I’ve never escalated anything. But, neither has he. We just both kind of naturally stop at some point and it’s fine. So… I guess I just kind of forgot?” 

“You forgot to talk to your _boyfriend_ about being _asexual_ … for a year.” Her voice was nothing short of incredulous.

“Oops?” He shrugged, smiling.

“You’re impossible and I’m leaving,” she huffed, leaping from the couch.

“Pidge, hey!” 

Lance could tell she was seriously pissed. Pidge probably thought he was lying, probably thought he was going through his old self-destructive cycles again. The lack of faith hurt, but he was a bit comforted to see how much she cared. Now, if she would just sit back down and listen that would be great. But he had no such luck, getting the door slammed in his face for his efforts.

“Seriously? Fuck…” He groaned, pressing his forehead against the closed door.

He would just have to call her later, after she calmed down. Then he could arrange to sit down with both her and Hunk, just to get all misunderstandings out of the way. He and Keith were in a perfectly healthy relationship, and he hadn’t felt this comfortable with someone in a long time.

He plopped back onto the couch and resumed his Netflix marathon. But as he sat there, he couldn’t help the annoying thoughts that tickled the back of his mind. With those thoughts came questions, questions riddled with doubt. 

What if things _weren’t_ as great as he thought? What if it was only good to him, and not Keith? He would know if Keith was unhappy, right? But what if he didn’t, what if he’d been so blinded by his own selfish happiness that he hadn’t noticed Keith’s needs?

The longer the thoughts festered, the more his questions went from doubtful to straight up paranoid. Because what if he hadn’t noticed Keith’s dissatisfaction because he was getting fulfillment elsewhere? What if Keith cheated on him because they hadn’t gotten intimate yet? What if Keith hadn’t ever initiated intimacy because… because maybe Keith didn’t love him after all?

Lance got up, dizzy with anxiety, and began to pace. Movement always helped clear his mind. Logically, he knew Keith wasn’t shallow, or disloyal, or malicious. Logically, he knew Keith was a horrible liar and it was highly unlikely anything bad was happening. But that was the thing with anxiety: logic really didn’t mean much in the moment. 

He walked to the kitchen and checked the time on the stove. Three more hours until Keith would be home. Three hours to pull himself together and prepare himself. 

It was officially time they had _the talk_. 

 

…

 

“Lance?”

Keith’s voice carried into the bedroom, where Lance was currently pacing and trying to calm himself. He’d managed to settle down up until about fifteen minutes ago, his anxieties returning full force. Keith eventually walked into the room, confusion quickly being replaced with worry upon seeing Lance’s harried state.

“Hey, Lance, what’s wrong?”

Keith slowly sat down next to him, hands awkwardly resting on his lap. As if he wanted to touch Lance but wasn’t sure if he should. Funny, how that made him feel better and worse at the same time. 

“Probably nothing, but… can we talk?” He tried to smile. 

“Yeah.”

Keith waited in silent anticipation. He was tense, probably put on edge by Lance’s frayed nerves. He took a deep breath and considered how to best start this conversation. 

“So, like, we’ve been together almost a year now. I think things are good. Like super good. Do you think so?”

Keith blinked in surprise.

“Yeah, things are good. Real good. Right?”

There was an edge of doubt in his voice. Lance nodded vigorously in reassurance. 

“Yeah, good. Yeah. Yeah, cool, okay then. Just, uh… we’ve never had sex.”

Lance rushed the words out, face rapidly heating. Keith stared at him, at his face red with embarrassment and shame. _Shame_. Yeah, even after all these years, after all his efforts to love himself, he still felt _ashamed_. Because if Keith turned out to be upset, if he decided to dump him, it would be Lance’s fault. All because he was _lacking_. 

“Oh.”

Keith’s whisper may as well have been a gunshot, what with the way Lance flinched at the sound. Keith’s face was pink now, too, for reasons Lance couldn’t find time to consider. 

“Yeah, _oh_. Kind of a big thing to miss, don’t you think?”

He was bordering on hysterical, waiting for Keith to _react_. Anger, disappointment, confusion… just something other than the blank expression he wore now. Then Keith moved, folding his hands and looking down, and Lance held his breath. 

“I mean, I haven’t missed it.”

“What?”

Keith looked up and met his eyes. There was a new weight to them that made Lance feel grounded. 

“I haven’t missed it,” he repeated with a sigh. “Sorry, guess it never came up, but I’m ace. So no sex… has been pretty cool.”

“Wait, _you’re_ ace? Like, asexual?”

“Yeah. Is that a problem?”

Keith was getting defensive, but Lance couldn’t think past the ringing in his ears. Couldn’t think past that earth shattering information. It just didn’t make sense, it was too good to be true. And yet it made _perfect_ sense. 

“But, you can’t be ace. _I’m_ ace!” Lance exclaimed with a startled laugh. 

“What do you mean I can’t-” he started angrily before realization kicked in. “Wait, what?”

Lance laughed again, giddy this time. 

“Dude. We’ve both been ace, this whole time. Just two aces, not even knowing.”

“Oh.” Keith smiled, eyes bright. 

“Yeah, _oh_.” Lance leaned in with a smile, pausing to ask permission, as usual. “Can I kiss you?” 

“Yeah.”

The kiss was brief but tinged with a joy that made it all the sweeter. Keith broke away with a chuckle, shaking his head. 

“We’ll talk more about this later, okay? I just… really need to shower and sleep.”

“Deal. I’ll come back in for cuddles in a bit. I just gotta call Pidge and tell her she was wrong.”

Lance jumped up from the bed, grabbing his phone off the dresser. 

“Wrong about what?” Keith asked with a curious laugh as he started stripping out of his uniform. 

“She thought I was letting myself get taken advantage of again. I just thought you were cheating on me. But this is _so_ much better.”

Lance smiled and practically skipped out the door. Keith shook his head with a fond smile. 

“Alright, see you- wait, you thought I was _cheating_? Lance!”

**Author's Note:**

> i have very strong personal HCs for keith & lance & asexuality in some form and so i've been wanting to write an ace klance fic for a while....so here we are!!
> 
> i wanna write a real Long Fic about like....exploration of sexuality and stuff bc I feel like asexuality can be really misunderstood? It's very fluid for some, very rigid for others, just like all other sexualities are. as an ace person myself, i really feel the need to write it all out someday lol
> 
> some day....
> 
> anyways!!! thanks for reading lol
> 
> hmu on tumblr @fratboyshiro


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